In Alchemy City, the "Transaction Council" represents almost absolute authority and can make all decisions arbitrarily.
In comparison, prisons are unnecessary.
After all, rather than letting prisoners waste food, workshop owners would prefer to have an extra worker in their basement who doesn't need to rest.
This is precisely why the existence of the "Mercury Prison" is so ambiguous.
This prison, located in the west of the city, occupies a large area in the precious Alchemy City. It is heavily guarded, and its food and daily necessities are basically self-sufficient thanks to its dozens of acres of farmland and miniature workshops.
The guards on duty were gathered in the small square near the dungeon entrance.
They didn't know what had just happened in the city, but the earth-shaking noise made them too afraid to stay in the dungeon any longer.
Anyway, the rooms where important figures are imprisoned have all been specially reinforced with a special alchemical process, so their security has long been maximized.
On the contrary, the narrow passageway was in a precarious state. As soon as the tremor came, the old, neglected stone chips on the ceiling rushed down.
The dust that was flying everywhere was pungent and hadn't dissipated yet; only a fool would stay inside!
Of course, the situation outside wasn't much better; several abandoned tile-roofed houses nearby appeared to have collapsed.
They didn't know whether the musty smell of this mixture of rotten wood and stone powder was more unbearable than the pungent smell of the workshop's wood ash.
"Captain, should we go to the council to investigate what's going on?" A soldier asked worriedly, looking at the slightly tilted main tower.
His captain, however, sat calmly on the ground, not even looking up. "What are you worrying about, kid? Have you forgotten our squad's motto?"
The seasoned veterans around immediately burst into laughter.
The soldier blushed and stammered, "Of course not! 'It's better to avoid trouble'... Oh, right."
Outsiders all thought this place was heavily guarded, but only they knew what a paradise it truly was.
As long as you keep your spirits up on the day the Governor-General visits each month, you can relax and wait to collect your wages at the end of the month.
Then, the wages were spent on alcohol, prostitutes, and addictions, completing the cycle in the blink of an eye.
The Alchemy City itself is like a giant gear, endlessly cycling according to precisely set rules.
The lives of everyone in the city are like this: disoriented yet constantly on the go.
...
Summer in the Liujin Plain is inherently unpredictable, and as noon approached, the sky suddenly darkened, making the already heavy smog even more pronounced.
The guards sat around a makeshift tarpaulin tent, drinking.
Sid summoned a cloud of mist, and he and Silver walked past the guards of Mercury Prison with utter composure.
Listening to the jokes unique to Alchemy City, the city's one-of-a-kind alchemy master walked expressionlessly to the dungeon entrance.
The defensive magic runes at the entrance were also the work of the Gilded Family, their signature ornate and intricate design requiring no effort from Sid to decipher.
As the magic runes on his emerald ring lit up, the two of them easily infiltrated the dungeon.
His target was his uncle.
The uncle who hired someone to kill his parents.
He was also the first in line to inherit the title of Duke of Gilded Age after Haines' death.
According to the intelligence he received, the enemy's cell was located at the very end of the deepest part of the dungeon.
But as he passed a prison gate, he suddenly stopped.
The soundproof and heat-insulating cell door slowly opened with the hum of gears turning, and the blond man sitting inside was staring at the entrance with extreme vigilance.
Compared to the radiant gold of Pope Joshua, the other's gold actually appeared somewhat rustic.
I don't know if it's related to the other party cultivating earth-attribute power.
"You're free." Looking at the other person's unkempt and disheveled appearance, Sid suppressed his rebellious thoughts and called out the other person's name.
"Long time no see, Aeneas."
Amidst the other's utter shock, Sid said quietly, "I'm sorry, because of my own plans, you've suffered quite a bit over the past three months."
Although he apologized, he felt no remorse whatsoever.
If the other party hadn't rashly come to Alchemy City, he wouldn't have been used by Fusri to arrange the assassination and frame him.
He had clearly said long ago that there was no need for them to see each other again.
"You...know I'm innocent?" Aeneas's usually fierce eyes flashed with light. "Sid, you actually believe me? I—"
But before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by another extremely magnetic voice.
"Honey, let's get down to business first."
The space at the entrance was clearly narrow, but another tall and thin figure managed to squeeze in.
The other's indigo eyes glanced at Aeneas indifferently, while the latter clearly received a wealth of information from that male-dominated gaze.
Mockery, provocation, disdain, disgust, pity...
There was also a hint of gratitude that drove him mad.
Without a doubt, this weak-looking pretty boy is the Grand Duke of Bethlehem who forced Sid into marriage!
Under Aeneas's glaringly jealous gaze, the other's hand brazenly wrapped around Sid's waist, openly asserting his dominance.
"Hmm," Sid responded quietly.
Her husband was standing right behind her, laughing, making it almost impossible for her to turn around. She had no choice but to pat his hand and beg him to let her go for now.
But when his fingers touched the other person's hand, he was startled by the sudden chill.
He knew perfectly well that Silver, such a clumsy young man, was always warm-hearted.
But the back of the other person's hand was so cold...
Could it be because of nervousness?
"Fool, what are you so nervous about?" Sid cursed inwardly, a bitter taste rising within him.
However, Aeneas's untimely voice rang out once again.
"You were forced, weren't you? Sid, it must have been that pretty boy who forced you, right?!" Seeing that the other person was about to leave again, Aeneas asked almost desperately, "I understand, you come from the gilded family, you must have your own reasons! I understand."
Sid looked coldly at the man in front of him, who was clearly hysterical but was also bluffing.
After three months without repair, his once passable buzz cut now resembled a moldy, spoiled custard mushroom.
How exactly did he fall for her in the first place? Sid couldn't help but wonder.
A sudden, intense feeling of nausea arose within me, but the target of my nausea was myself.
Seeing that Sid remained silent, Aeneas became even more certain of his guess.
"Your Excellency, Grand Duke of Bethlehem, I challenge you to a duel!" Aeneas glared fiercely at Silver, licking his lips as he said, "If you're a man, come and fight me fair and square!"
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